Tokyo 2020: Paralympic pictograms revealed

All 23 sport disciplines at next Games illustrated13 Apr 2019

By Toyko 2020

With exactly 500 days to go until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the Organising Committee has unveiled the official Paralympic sport pictograms. There are 23 designs, with 22 of the Paralympic sports each represented by one pictogram, and one used for each of the two cycling disciplines.

The pictograms have been created with the aim of helping people overcome language barriers through the use of internationally recognisable images to depict individual sports.

Honouring and celebrating Paralympic sports, the pictogram images depict Paralympians in dynamic poses in the various sporting disciplines. Aiming to reflect and promote an inclusive society that celebrates differences and promotes world-class athleticism, the pictograms will be a major identifier of the Paralympic Games sport programme.

This is the first time in Japan that summer Paralympic sports are individually represented in the form of pictograms. It is also the first time that badminton and taekwondo pictograms are being used, as these two sports have been newly added to the Paralympic programme for Tokyo 2020.

The pictograms will be used in many places and formats, including at competition venues, events, on city decorations and licensed products. They will help retain visual impressions of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the memories of people both during and after the Games.

While following the same creative concept and design of the Olympic Sport Pictograms, the characteristics of the individual Paralympic sports were taken into account by accurately reflecting their rules, the athletes’ posture and the equipment they use.

A team led by renowned Japanese designer Masaaki Hiromura designed the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games sport pictograms.

Said Hiromura, “It is a real honour to have participated in the design of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games sport pictograms. I have tried to express the dynamic beauty of the athletes through these pictograms, while respecting the legacy bequeathed by the pioneers of the Japanese design industry in their designs for the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games.

“The 2020 designs took us almost two years to complete and they embody the thoughtful input of the many people involved. I hope that these pictograms will inspire everyone and help generate excitement for the different sports at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.”